Runaway
by RainyDay12
Summary: Set during the missing year. The Wicked Queen had tormented families, ruined lives. Aurora is desperate for the help of an old friend. Mulan has spent the past nine months mending a broken heart. When old demons are resurrected, will their friendship endure?
1. Won't Say Goodbye

**A/N: Hello there, lovely reader! This story will be in a kind of weird format, there will be a three-chapter introduction, then stories-within-the-story that are one or two chapters apiece, then a conclusion and maybe an epilogue. This is a 'slash' story, meaning women fall in love _with each other, _so if you aren't okay with that, please flee to the hills. Thanks. I own nothing, this is writing is solely for the purpose of entertainment. And now, with out further ado, I present to you, Runaway.**

**Happy reading! **

**Runaway- Chapter 1:Won't Say Goodbye**

As Mulan read the message, her hand slowly crept up to cover her mouth, shock taking over her warrior's body. It had been nine months. She'd even tried to forget, immersing herself in the impossible task of staying in work. This, this made it all pointless, cutting open old-but not forgotten-wounds. The one person who mattered to her more than anything. The person who had shattered her heart into a million pieces.

Aurora.

_Dearest Mulan:_

_ I am sending this message to you in the midst of peril. Terrible things have happened, things I dare not mention in a form of communication so easily intercepted. But I need you. Meet me on the Equinox, you know where. The place where you won my heart. Hopefully I'll see you there, you are my last chance._

_ ~Aurora_

Mulan knew exactly where she meant. Lake Nostos.

Aurora's bag was heavy. She had packed as much as she could, not knowing what to expect. For the millionth time if she could actually do this. I mean, she'd given birth not three days ago, and now she was trekking off to Lake Nostos. The queen would probably catch her the moment she left the palace, and have her head, anyway. Why even bother trying to escape?

No.

She was sick of the Wicked Queen's tyranny, sick of living in fear of everything. She'd never had more to lose, but at the same time she'd never had more to fight for. Phillip, their baby, they just _had _to try and find a better life.

They'd agreed on one year. One year apart. Phillip would take their baby and get as far away from the castle as he could, try to find an old great-aunt or someone to discreetly help take care of the baby. Aurora would do the same, minus finding a relative. While she agreed that the Queen would have less of a chance of finding them if they split up, she still thought a year was a long time. One year apart, to meet back up near the palace after a year of laying low. Separately. Away from each other. Aurora minus Phillip.

Aurora heard crying, startling her from her dreary thoughts. She looked down at the crib. Her child laid there, the source of the crying. Her heart began to ache. She moved to reach for him; just as Phillip's strong arms encircled their baby, lifting him into a father's embrace. He stopped crying immediately, Phillip's gentle rocking soothing him almost back to sleep.

They had also agreed that they would name the baby after the year apart. "More time to think of a good one," Phillip had joked, kissing her cheek. But she couldn't help thinking, _too much time._

"Hey," she said softly, looking up at him. "I didn't want to say goodbye. I just…I just wanted…" Her eyes filled with tears, her words slurred with emotion. She cursed herself for being so weak, but after briefly wondering if this counted as being weak, realized that she didn't care. She was walking away from her True Love. She could cry as much as she damn pleased.

She took a deep breath. "I'll miss you," she choked out, looking into Phillip's eyes. His beautiful brown eyes. "And you." She gently stroked the baby's soft tuft of hair. Her baby.

"I love you." Both of them said it at the same time, her voice trembling, his strong and confident. They both laughed, albeit weakly.

She felt his arm wrap around her waist as he swept her up into a passionate kiss. She finally pulled away, all the words she had to say spilled from her lips.

"I won't say goodbye. I can't. So I'll say this instead; I will see you again. There is no way in Heaven or Earth or Hell, that I won't see you again." Her voice sounded firm and real, and as soon as she said the words, she felt them resonate in her heart, her soul. But if she didn't leave right now, she'd never find the will to make herself leave ever again.

She hefted her bag firmly onto her shoulders (boy, she was going to feel that in the morning,) and walked straight out of the palace, only looking back once.


	2. Water

**A/N: Hello there, lovely reader! Any Death Cab for Cutie fans out there? Let me know what you thought of the first chapter!_ Meet me on the equinox..._ This is part two of the three-part-intro. I'll have part three up sometime next week, and hopefully it'll be a bit longer than this one. I still own nothing, all characters belong to Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowits. Happy reading!**

**Water**

Mulan looked around anxiously for the millionth time that day. Lake Nostos looked just like she remembered it. The crater was dry, gray, and unhappy-looking. But there was no sign of Aurora.

So as she scanned the trees once again, Mulan couldn't help but wonder;_ did something happen? Is Aurora alright? What am I going to say when I see her?_ Mulan had been thinking about this particular question quite a bit. And she had come to one decision: she was going to tell Aurora how she felt about her.

Now, she had resolved this before, and had her heart shattered into millions of burning pieces. But whatever reason Aurora had called on her for, it had to be important. And she deserved to know the truth. _God, she deserved the entire _world… But she still hadn't figured out how to tell her.

Lost in thought, she failed to notice the petite, feminine figure that emerged from the trees.

"Mulan," called that clear, soprano voice. "Mulan? Are you there?"

Aurora.

"Aurora!" She answered, running to meet the princess. Her princess. "Aurora! I'm here! Are you alright? Your letter sounded terribly urgent. What's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm-I'm fine. Just a little winded from the journey here," she answered, panting a little. She leaned over, resting her elbows on her knees (she looked elegant, even taking this masculine pose,) and continued: "It's good to see you, Mulan." She gave a small smile.

Mulan could see how unnaturally pale she was. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes too bright. "You look as if you had quite a rough journey. You need some water." She offered her a canteen.

"Thank you," Aurora said, gratefully taking the water.

As Aurora threw her head back and took a long swig, Mulan looked her up and down. She was wearing muddy boots, their toes peeking out from under the hem of her long blue dress. A green and pink flowered cloak sat gracefully on her lady-like shoulders, its large hood covering her fair, shining hair. She had a heavy-looking bag on her back, hopefully full of the supplies she needed to make the trip there. Mulan could only hope she had brought supplies.

Aurora handed back her canteen, swiping a gloved hand over her perfect mouth. "Thank you," she said again, wincing a little.

"Are you feeling well?" Mulan asked worriedly, gripping the smaller woman's elbows.

"I'm fine," Aurora insisted, but winced again. A visible shudder ran through her body. She looked up at Mulan and gave her a weak grin. She looked relived, but also somehow…resigned.

"Oh, Mulan," she sighed. "My dearest friend." And with that, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed into Mulan's arms.


	3. My Truest Friend

**A/N: Hello there, lovely reader! This is the conclusion to the three-part intro. I will admit that the timing of this story, in relation to what actually happened on the show, is a little off. But this is a work of fiction, and it all makes sense in the scheme of the story itself. Don't be mad, I didn't do it on purpose;). Please review or P.M. me, let me know what you think. Don't keep me in the dark! **

**Happy reading!**

**My**** Truest Friend**

Aurora bolted awake, the nightmare ended, snatching her back into the real world. A world with no Phillip. The sad, damaged world in which her weak body lived. Ouch. She cried out his name.

"Phillip?," she screamed, agony lacing her light soprano voice.

"No," she heard. "It's me." Aurora turned towards the voice. It was so familiar, but so out of place. She hadn't heard...

"Mulan?" She found the face of her friend, the last day rushing back to her.

"Where are we? How long was I asleep?" The princess tried to lift herself to a sitting position, but dizziness overcame her. Head spinning, she settled back on her elbows.

"We are in the woods outside of Lake Nostos. I carried you here, set up camp. You've been asleep for less than two hours. You should rest." Mulan's tone had been clipped up until this point, her eyes evasive. It was strange. The combination of hearing her friend's voice again, and the quality of it. She always spoke to Aurora with emotion, like she was sharing her deepest secret, expressing her deepest fears. Suddenly it was filled with that same emotion again. The warrior stepped down from the tree she had been leaning against, and crouched down to put a gentle hand on Aurora's shoulder.

"And please, Aurora, tell me what you meant in your letter. I have been very worried." She looked her deep in the eyes as she said this, as if asking her why she kicked a puppy or killed her mother.

This was somewhat of a trick question. She has meant what she has said, essentially. _You are my last chance._

"Mulan," she began, looking right back into the other woman's concerned eyes, praying that she would understand. "The last time you saw me, I was with child. Since Snow and Emma left, the Wicked Queen has come into power. She invaded Phillip and my castle. She live with us, bulling us, threatening our unborn child. I gave birth about three days ago." Mulan's eyes widened at this, but she said nothing.

Aurora continued: "Phillip and I came up with a plan. We were going to split up for a year, and wait for things to calm down a bit. We figured two people were harder to track than one, and hopefully we aren't that important to her. Who knows, maybe Snow and her husband will come back to the Enchanted Forest and defeat her." She recalled talking with Snow, hearing stories of prince 'Charming's' plight and adventures. "I'd like to meet that man."

"Anyway," she went on, ignoring the ache of old memories. "Phillip is taking the baby to stay with an old aunt of his, in some village in another land. When I realized that I ,too, needed some one to rendezvous with, I could think of no one else.'' She reached out and placed a hand on her friend's knee. "You are my truest friend, Mulan, not to mention my oldest."

Gathering up all of her strength, Aurora hauled herself up to her knees to embrace Mulan, resting her cheek on the taller woman's shoulder. Mulan, stoic, stiff, in-affectionate, Mulan, seemed surprised at first, but suddenly was hugging her back with gusto. Aurora felt her ribcage contract.

"Now tell me," she half-hissed, short of air. "What have you been up to all of this time? Weren't you going to join Robin Hood's Merry Men?"

Mulan pulled back, a rare, ear-to-ear smile gracing her lovely features. "I'm sorry for crushing you." Her voice was thick-sounding with what Aurora could only guess was...Sentiment? Sadness?

"I was going to be a Merry Man, or a Merry Woman, I suppose. The first." She laughed halfheartedly, almost to herself. "But that...didn't work out. I guess I wouldn't have fit in, for some obvious reasons. It wasn't really what I wanted. I have mostly been doing odd-jobs. A little of this, helping out in exchange for food and shelter." The warrior woman shrugged,

"Aurora," she said urgently, a sudden seriousness filling her voice. "You need protection from the Wicked Queen, correct? You need to keep a low profile."

"Yes,'' Aurora confirmed, nodding.

"Well I promise you, I swear on my life, that nothing will happen to you."


End file.
